New “Writer Problems” Series, Topic #6: How Much Rewriting is Too Much?

by Michael Sahno | Aug 30, 2021 | Articles | 0 comments

Today’s blog post was supposed to be an expansive one, delving in the subject of rewriting. In my own case, I spent years obsessively returning to manuscripts, revising them again and again until they were—as far as I could tell—perfect. As perfect as I could make them, anyway.

And then along came one of my current freelance projects: a massive editing job, involving a manuscript that’s not only 70K words but also the author’s first book.

It’s a monster. And in order to reach my own self-imposed deadline and switch back to ongoing commitments, I have to bail on my own blog today. Simply stated, this manuscript will require both copy editing and a certain amount of in-depth revision; in other words, rewriting.

Here, then, is my short answer to the question, how much rewriting is too much? More than you can stand. That’s it. Polish it until it shines, but don’t polish it into oblivion. And when it’s time, let it go.

Next week: a (possibly) longer post!

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